If you're hoping to get out of Toronto to soak in the vivid fall foliage this week, there are a few popular spots you should probably cross off your list.

Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) announced the start of their off-season today, cutting back on the hours you can visit the conservation authority's parks along the Credit River Watershed, and in some cases closing them for the season altogether.

Perhaps the most popular attraction managed by the CVC, the Cheltenham Badlands is one attraction you won't be able to visit until next year, its boardwalk-style viewing platform and barren red landscape off-limits as of today.

A friendly reminder that on Nov 1 our parks will be switching to off-season hrs. Visitors are welcome 7 days a week during daylight hours to those parks that remain open. As of this date the Cheltenham Badlands will be closed for the season. For more info: https://t.co/mcYtVxNnek pic.twitter.com/CSEizhBu34

— Credit Valley Conservation (@CVC_CA) October 28, 2021

Looking like a cross between Mars and Alberta, the Cheltenham Badlands is actually not a natural feature, but the product of erosion due to poor farming practices in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

A "happy accident," as Bob Ross would've called it.

Further erosion from families trampling over the exposed red shale led to a viewing platform opening in 2018.

Restrictions on climbing spare the accidental landscape from further damage and keep countless car interiors free of red dust in the process.

And it isn't just the Badlands. Another nearby attraction, the Belfountain Conservation Area will also remain off-limits, that park having shut down for the year to facilitate an extensive rehabilitation project.

Other CVC-managed conservation areas will remain open through the winter with limited hours.

Spots close to the Badlands like Terra Cotta Conservation Area and Silver Creek Conservation Area are on the list of places you can still visit during the winter, open every day from sunrise to sunset.

CVC issues regular updates on park hours, temporary closures, and other valuable details like parking alternatives on their park advisories page.